Building components, such as ducts and pipes, are typically covered with an exterior layer of insulation. Properly insulating such components can help improve a home's energy efficiency and general durability. The insulation material used for these building components is often comprised of a relatively thick layer of bulk insulating material, such as fiberglass or mineral wool and is configured to encase the building component. Such insulation materials are generally provided in the form of continuous lengths, packaged in rolls, or of individual panels, or batts, with facing materials on one or both major surfaces.
In some instances the insulation material can include an exterior layer that provides a protective facing or jacket. The jacket or facing can include various layers configured for providing various characteristics to the facing, such as include vapor impermeability, fire resistance, mold resistance, puncture resistance and durability. Such other layers generally include an over-laid scrim or layer of foil or paper.
Useful facings or facing sheets for insulation materials generally include kraft paper, a tri-directional scrim, and foil and are bonded to a major face of the insulation material by an adhesive layer. The facing may be adhered to the insulation materials in a number of ways, such as solvent or water based adhesives, hot-melt adhesives, and other specialized adhesives. One cause of concern with paper facings is the potential for mold or mildew growth. In an effort to reduce the threat of mold, tri-directional scrims were included to reinforce laminates and gain improved mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, tear resistance and Mullen burst strength. Alternatively, a layer of polymeric material such as polypropylene may be added to the top of the paper layer to protect the paper from mold. However, both of the above described multilayer structures still suffer from mold or mildew growth due to the exposure of the paper layer.
Accordingly, there is a need for an insulation facing or jacket that provides better mold resistance, improved mechanical properties and durability, and excellent fire resistance that is easy to apply and install at the job site.